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Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD Police Commissioner Edward Flynn is not running for office, but he spent a fair amount of time last week campaigning for his brand of law enforcement and the changes he plans to bring to the Springfield Police Department. His overall message is that the Department has a lot of talent and hard-working officers, but that the solutions for problems and conditions facing the Department will take time to develop and implement. Flynn appeared before the Community Policing Beat Teams in Indian Orchard and Mason Square as well as the Public Safety and Health Committee of the Springfield City Council. Flynn repeated many of the same points at the Indian Orchard and City Council meetings. At both forums, with summer and increased demand on policing approaching, he used the analogy that the Department was a warship in need of repair. He said he would like to bring it into dry dock for over-hauling but "we have to go out to sea without the over-haul because the pirates are on the horizon." At the Indian Orchard meeting, he said his strategy was like a "three-legged stool." It's based on having commanding police officers responsible for a specific district in the city; being problem oriented; and being data-driven. Without the collection and analysis of data, Flynn said the Department could not be as effective as it could in addressing "hot spots" of crime in the city. Flynn said at both meetings he had met with command personnel and divided them into groups to develop solutions for consistency of assignments; stream-lining booking procedures; creating an expanded capacity to respond to street crime; and deal with the "long-term" problem of responding to 911 calls. He reported to the City Council that just prior to the meeting he received the proposals on addressing these issues and, although he had only quickly read them, he was pleased with what he read. At the Indian Orchard meeting, Flynn explained the city received 180,000 911 calls last year. There were 10,000 to 15,000 hang-ups, and 20,000 burglary alarms of which about 90 percent were false alarms. Flynn said that all police departments are on "thin ice" when it comes to answering 911 calls. No police officer wants to misclassify a call that could result in the commission of a crime. When discussing the same issue at the City Council meeting, Flynn added that he doesn't run the Police Department, but rather anyone with a cell phone does. At both meetings, he recounted hearing a call from a mother who wanted a police officer because her 13-year-old teenager had sworn at her. Flynn also said at both meetings that perhaps people would accept a system in which non-emergency matters could be handled by an appointment system. He said he had been making appointments to have furniture delivered, and speculated that perhaps the time has come to adapt similar practices in the Department. The Department's website might also be used to collect non-emergency reports from citizens. At both meetings, Flynn addressed his thoughts on the city's community policing program. At the City Council meeting he emphasized that he wants to bring the community-policing concept to everyone on the force. About 10 residents, who came specifically to address the issue of noise in their neighborhoods, attended the City Council meeting. Committee Chair Kateri Walsh opened the meeting with a remark that the meeting was not about enforcement of the city's existing noise ordinance or about the drafting of a new ordinance. The residents sat quietly throughout the meeting, many of them holding signs. They were only allowed to speak briefly at the end of the meeting and only give their name. Some did make brief remarks. Councilor Domenic Sarno asked Flynn about the noise issue and Flynn said that he did not want a quality of life issue turning into a "wedge issue" in which police officers would be accused of discrimination. Flynn said that enforcement of any noise issue should be tied into the expectations of a community and to specific locations. He mentioned that Jersey City, New Jersey had established "quiet zones" to combat excessive noise, but he wasn't sure of the success of this approach. At the Indian Orchard meeting, he said, "It's fair to say there's a lot of moving parts to an effective noise ordinance." He added that noise meters installed in New York City police cruisers to enforce noise regulations there cost $2,000 each. Flynn expressed optimism about addressing crime in the city because of his discussion with Springfield officers. He told City Councilor that one of the city's problems is the city's self image. He said that Springfield was "no where as bad as many other cities the same size on the East Coast." Because the city is the center of a metropolitan area and is the home of a number of media outlets, crime news receives greater exposure. He said a city the size of Springfield that is in the shadow of a larger city doesn't warrant the kind of coverage Springfield receives. He believes the morale of the city has to "buck up." "I don't see a city on the brink of a catastrophe," he added. | ||||||
